Career Information for a Degree in Illustration or Drawing

Degree programs in illustration or drawing typically cover art history, digital art and drawing skills. Find out about the requirements of these programs, and learn about career options, job growth and salary info for illustration or drawing graduates.

A degree in illustration or drawing can increase job prospects for those who want to work as an illustrator, sketch artist, or multimedia artist. Through postsecondary studies, it's possible for students to develop skills and build a portfolio to showcase their talents.

Essential Information

Although a degree is not always a requirement for a career in drawing or illustration, these programs can provide useful skills. Many art academies and universities offer bachelor's degree programs in illustration, although drawing programs are often combined with another discipline, such as painting. Relevant associate and master's degree programs are also available. Students may learn about color theory, design and digital art as well as study the human body to learn figure and gesture drawing. Potential students may need to have a portfolio of work in order to gain entrance to a degree program.

Career

Illustrator

Multimedia Artist

Sketch Artist

Education Requirements

High school diploma

Bachelor's degree

High school diploma

Other Requirements

Some training or education

N/A

Some training or education

Projected Job Growth (2014-2024)*

3% (Fine artists)

6%

3% (Fine artists)

Median Salary (2015)*

$46,460 (Fine artists)

$63,970

$46,460 (Fine artists)

Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

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Career Options

Illustration and drawing are suitable majors for creative individuals with a passion and commitment to art. Those who have completed a degree program in illustration or drawing may find a variety of career options as illustrators, multimedia artists and animators or sketch artists.

Illustrators

Illustrators create drawings and advertisements for books, magazines, textiles, wrapping paper, stationery, greeting cards, calendars and many other media. Illustrators may also work in the medical field, although they may need additional education to be familiar with biology and human anatomy. Illustrators work with traditional tools as well as digital programs.

Employment opportunities for illustrators exist in publishing, advertising and related industries. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) stated that the median annual salary for all fine artists and illustrators was $46,460 as of May 2015.

Multimedia Artists and Animators

Multimedia artists and animators continue to enjoy high demand for their services, especially in the fields of movie special effects, video games, advertising and computer design. Many animators and multimedia artists need to be familiar with computer programs in order to create realistic 3-D models and images. The BLS listed the median annual salary as $63,970 for these workers in May 2015.

Sketch Artists

Sketch artists use a variety of media, such as pencils, charcoal and pastels, to create drawings, and they often focus on human subjects. Many sketch artists are employed by court systems for drawing pictures of witnesses and other courtroom images. Some sketch artists use their skills to produce renderings of suspects for use by law enforcement.

Others sketch artists are employed by fashion designers to create drawings of proposed designs. Alternatively, some artists in this field make their livings as caricaturists or public sketch artists, setting up shop on the street or in other populated areas to draw portraits of customers.

A degree in illustration or drawing can lead to a career as a multimedia artist, illustrator or sketch artist. These programs help students develop proficiency with industry-standard graphic design software as well as traditional illustration techniques.